Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-12


record of the defendant from his birth il
Hamburg, Germany. July 9, 1862, dowr
to the time of the tragedy; that his father
was grocer and died in 1881 that in
connection with his mother he continued
his fathers business for one year: shortly
after quitting the grocery business he
came to America, arriving at Davenport
August 10, 1882; that from the time o.
his arrival he has worked continuously
his first at the Rock Island Lumber
company; then breaking stone on the
government canal. He got acquainted
with Adelia Huss. who afterwards be-
came his wife while living in Davenport
and the intimacy ripened into a tenderel
relation and she became pregnant; that up
on being informed of this state of facts he
without threats or compulsion, married.
A child was born to them shortly after be
married her; that through the manipula-
lions and intermeddling of his mother
in>law and the waywsrd action of his
wife, he was compelled to leave her
though he regretted to do so; that there
were several separations and reconcilia'
tions between them, aud final separa,
ton; that after one separation she senI
for him aud asked HIM to return and live
with her and upon his declining she went
to the river bank with h,r child and
threatened to throw herself and child
into the river. whereupon he acceded to
her request and went home with her.
The defendant claims that the charac
ter of the deceased family is bad; that
there is predisposition among them
TO COMMIT SUICIDE;
that his mother.in law was divorced from
her husband. and her husband hung him
self; that his sister,in-lsw was also di,
vorced from her husband, and attempted
10 kill herself by taking Rough on Rats ,
Maj. Beardsley dwelt at length upor
the good character of the defendant anG
loose character and lewd propensities oil
deceased; that she was out at night witt
other men, and was at the time of hel
death pregnant, though her hus'
baud had been absent for about wear
That at the time of the accident tn.
defendant and his wife were crossing tb,
bridge for the purpose of seeing Squire
Bennett about divorce, the defendan
coming from Muscatine. where he was a
the time working for that express pur,
pose. As to the occurance itself the
defense claim it was suicide
THE FIRST WITNESS
called for the prosecution was Dr.
S. c. Plummer, who testified that he
examined the body of Adelia Bptgel
after il was found, and found the clothe:
all clean snd neat, no bruises o
marks upon her person excep
two or three scratches on III
neck from external appearance
would say that she was not three month
gone 10 pregnancy: she might have bee.
pregnant a shorter time On cross, exam
ination he said that he could not sgea
that she was not pregnant, but 10 hi
opinion she was not, unless more recent
than three onths.
H c. Harris, policeman. saw the de
| ceased after her death; wen; with Mar
shal Eckhart and removed her BODY Il
kno2's undertaking establishment, sub
Stimulated DR.. Plummer' testimony as /,
the marks or scratches; don't think the
could all be made BY the railing; saw
the defendant IN his cell on the morning
after the accident. washing some blood
stains out OF his shirt. and took the shir
off of him
Robert Bennett: Knew Adeia Bptee
during her lifetime; she came to see m
three times, tirstin May, 1885, and asked m
advice about getting her husbands wage
at the saw mill, claiming that he mis-
treated her and failed to support her
| she came again to see me after her chilli
died to see about making him pay TO
its burial and the expenses of its sickness
she came a third time about divorc,
and advised her to take advice of Al
attorney. which she did.
s, : Hull; Was deputy city marshal a
the time of the drowning of the deceased
had a year previous been called to where
the defendant and deceased were ther
living, back of the Fourth avenue hotel
at that time Bptger was intoxicated sul
was threatening his wife and said &c
d-her, will get rid of her yet o.
cross examination the witness deuiet
that be had been out on the occasion O
this talk with the deceased, or that h,
had been out with her at any time before
or since.
At o'clock this afternoon Judge
Smith adjourned court until $50 Monda
morning.
Died in a Depot.